Streetlight asset module, streetlights and related systems

ABSTRACT

A streetlight asset module (SAM) is provided including at least one memory block configured to store operating configuration settings of a streetlight associated with the SAM. The SAM is configured to communicate the operating configuration settings of the streetlight to a control and monitoring system (CMS) node coupled to the streetlight. The CMS node is configured to communicate the operating configuration settings to a remote location using a radio communications network. Related streetlights and systems are also provided.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The present application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S.application Ser. No. 16/553,594, filed Aug. 28, 2019, which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/727,099, filed Sep.5, 2018, entitled “Streetlight Asset Module,” the content all of whichis hereby incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in itsentirety.

FIELD

The present inventive concept relates generally to streetlights, and,more particularly, to identification of details associated withparticular streetlights.

BACKGROUND

Using control and monitoring systems (CMSs) in street lighting isbecoming the standard in the industry. Conventional streetlightstypically have a CMS node attached to a streetlight that is connected inreal time to some sort of radio communications network. Inclusion ofcommunications functionality in the streetlight allows the streetlightsto be monitored remotely. For example, information from the streetlightscan be used to monitor for faults or incorrect operation and a networkmanager may be alerted; to control if the streetlight is on or off basedon calendar time or daylight levels or a pre-programmed schedule; tomeasure the power consumed by the streetlight to meter grade accuracy;to detect, for example, vehicular or pedestrian traffic adjacent to thestreetlight and increase or decrease the brightness of the streetlightbased on traffic patterns; to use satellite location to calculate theexact location of the streetlight and the like. Thus, information fromconventional street lights can be used to determine what time it is atthe location of the streetlight; physically where the streetlight islocated; whether it is day or night; how much power the streetlight isconsuming; how bright the light is; if there is traffic active in thevicinity of the streetlight and if the streetlight is functioningproperly.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments of the present inventive concept provide a streetlightasset module (SAM) including at least one memory block configured tostore operating configuration settings of a streetlight associated withthe SAM. The SAM is configured to communicate the operatingconfiguration settings of the streetlight to a control and monitoringsystem (CMS) node coupled to the streetlight. The CMS node is configuredto communicate the operating configuration settings to a remote locationusing a radio communications network.

In further embodiments, the CMS node may be further configured tomonitor operation of the streetlight associated with the SAM based onthe operating configuration settings provided from the SAM; and providealerts using a communication circuit to the remote location when adeviation from the operating configuration settings is identified.

In still further embodiments; the at least one memory block may beprogrammed with the operation configuration settings of the streetlightat time of manufacture.

In some embodiments, the operating configuration settings stored in theat least one memory block may be periodically updated or updated uponrequest from a user.

In further embodiments, the SAM may be coupled to a dimming lamp driverin the streetlight and configured to communicate dimming controlcommands from the CMS node to the dimming lamp driver.

In still further embodiments, the SAM may be coupled to at least oneexternal sensor and may be configured to provide sensor information fromthe at least one external sensor to CMS node. In certain embodiment, theat least one external sensor may include at least one of a temperaturesensor, a traffic counter, a humidity sensor, and a motion sensor.

Some embodiments of the present inventive concept provide a streetlightincluding a streetlight asset module (SAM) comprising at least onememory block configured to store operating configuration settings of thestreetlight; and a coupling mechanism configured to connect thestreetlight to a control and monitoring (CMS) node. The SAM isconfigured to communicate the operating configuration settings of thestreetlight to the CMS node. The CMS node is configured to communicatethe operating configuration settings to a remote location using a radiocommunications network.

Further embodiments of the present inventive concept provide a systemfor monitoring operating configuration settings of a streetlightincluding a streetlight asset module (SAM) comprising at least onememory block configured to store operating configuration settings of thestreetlight; and a control and monitoring (CMS) node in communicationwith the SAM and configured to receive the operating configurationsettings of the streetlight from the SAM. The CMS node is configured tocommunicate the operating configuration settings to a remote locationusing a radio communications network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an environment including streetlights in variouslocations that communicate with a remote location in accordance withsome embodiments of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 2 is a high-level block diagram of a system including a streetlightasset module (SAM), a control monitoring system (CMS) and a streetlightin accordance with some embodiments of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 3 . is a block diagram of a system including a SAM inside theStreetlight unit having a non-dimming lamp driver in accordance withsome embodiments of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a system including a SAM inside theStreetlight unit having a Dali dimming lamp driver in accordance withsome embodiments of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a system including a SAM inside theStreetlight unit having a 0-10 volt dimming lamp driver in accordancewith some embodiments of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a system including a SAM inside theStreetlight unit having a 0-10 volt dimming lamp driver using anadaptive CMS node in accordance with some embodiments of the presentinventive concept.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a system including a SAM inside theStreetlight unit having a 0-10 volt dimming lamp driver and auxiliarycommunications feature in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent inventive concept.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a data processing system that may be usedin accordance with some embodiments of the present inventive concept.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present inventive concept will be described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying figures, in which embodiments of theinventive concept are shown. This inventive concept may however, beembodied in many alternate forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein.

Accordingly, while the inventive concept is susceptible to variousmodifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof areshown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described indetail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent tolimit the inventive concept to the particular forms disclosed, but onthe contrary, the inventive concept is to cover all modifications,equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of theinventive concept as defined by the claims. Like numbers refer to likeelements throughout the description of the figures.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the inventiveconcept. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises”, “comprising,” “include” and/or “including” when used inthis specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers,steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Moreover, whenan element is referred to as being “responsive” or “connected” toanother element, it can be directly responsive or connected to the otherelement, or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when anelement is referred to as being “directly responsive” or “directlyconnected” to another element, there are no intervening elementspresent. As used herein the term “and/or” includes any and allcombinations of one or more of the associated listed items and may beabbreviated as “/”.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this inventive concept belongs. Itwill be further understood that terms used herein should be interpretedas having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the contextof this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpretedin an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so definedherein.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. maybe used herein to describe various elements, these elements should notbe limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish oneelement from another, for example, a first element could be termed asecond element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a firstelement without departing from the teachings of the disclosure. Althoughsome of the diagrams include arrows on communication paths to show aprimary direction of communication, it is to be understood thatcommunication may occur in the opposite direction to the depictedarrows.

As discussed above conventional streetlights are equipped withcommunication circuits that allow the streetlights to communicateinformation to remote locations. Thus, it is possible to determine whattime it is at the location of the streetlight; physically where thestreetlight is located; whether it is day or night; how much power thestreetlight is consuming; how bright the light is; if there is trafficactive in the vicinity of the streetlight and if the streetlight isfunctioning properly; and the like from the remote location. All theseuseful features as previously described have been added to thestreetlight over recent years by plugging a smart control node into astandard socket fitted in the streetlight. The capabilities of standardstreetlights have developed in the last decade, from a sodium vapourlamp light source to a white vapour lamp light source and now to a lightemitting diode (LED) light source, thus, improving the efficiency of thelighting. The features of the lamp driver have generally remainedunchanged relative to the type of light source. Generally, the lampdriver controls whether light is on or off and the dimming of the light.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a diagram illustrating an example environmentincluding various streetlights 101, 102, and 103 in various locations 1,2, and 3 in communication with a remote location 110 will be discussed.As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the streetlight 101, 102, and 103 arepositioned in different locations 1, 2, and 3 respectively. Each of thestreetlights 101, 102, and 103 is coupled to a CMS node that allows thestreetlights 101, 102, and 103 to communicate with the remote location110, for example, a utility. It will be understood that although asingle remote location, three streetlights and three locations areillustrated in FIG. 1 , embodiments of the present inventive concept arenot limited to this configuration. There could be more or less of eachwithout departing from the scope of the present inventive concept.

As illustrated, physically, each of the streetlights 101, 102, and 103look the same. However, each of these streetlights 101, 102, and 103 arepositioned in different locations 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Thelocations 101, 102, and 103 may require different types of lighting. Forexample, location 1 may be in a residential neighbourhood, location 2may be a highway and location 3 may be in a parking lot of grocerystore. Each of these locations have different illumination needs and thestreetlights 101, 102, and 103 are configured to fulfil these needs.However, it is not clear from looking at the streetlights 101, 102, and103 themselves as to what the specific requirements are. In other words,the streetlights 101, 102, and 103 all start with a same or similarpiece of equipment and are programmed and configured for differentoperating conditions. It is widely understood that customers each havetheir own specific set of “conditions” and it would be very difficult toprovide a different physical product to meet each customer's needs.

To effectively control the streetlights 101, 102, and 103 from theremote location 110, the details associated with each should beunderstood. As discussed above, although conventional streetlights cancommunicate the information discussed above, they generally lack theability to communicate the “type” associated with the streetlight. Asused herein, “type” refers to the individual details associated with thespecific streetlight beyond the physical structure thereof. For newinstallations, the lighting network is carefully designed so that thelight level all along the street and pavement satisfies the safetyrequirements currently in force at that time. In order to achieve this,each streetlight is chosen to provide the correct level of lighting asrequired and the dimming profile applied to the CMS node over thenetwork is designed to match the intended location and power level ofthe streetlight. The problem occurs if the streetlight is not fitted tothe correct location. If a lower power unit is fitted in lieu of ahigher powered alternative, the illumination on the street may beunsafe. Similarly, if a higher power unit is fitted rather than a lowerpower alternative, the illumination level will be too high causingunsafe glare for road users and excessive power consumption.Furthermore, the CMS node can monitor the operation of the streetlightand send alarm warnings if the streetlight is not operating as expectedand needs repair. If the CMS node does not know what “type” (details) oflight is communicating, the CMS node may not know the normal operatingconditions for the streetlight. The quality of the information providedby the CMS node and the warnings generated therefrom are only as good asthe information available to the CMS node.

Information related to the streetlight, such as “type” may be recorded,at the time of installation. However, having installers just make anotation of “type” for each streetlight installed and the coordinatesfor the location of each streetlight has proven to be an unsuccessfulsolution. The data collected can be very poor quality unless a separateadministration team is used to track the installation of thestreetlights. Using a separate team results in a significant installcost increase per streetlight.

Human error is further enhanced when streetlights are fixed in emergencysituations. For example, after hurricane season in the areas prone tosuch events, many thousands of streetlights have to be repairedannually. This is generally done with emergency crews and the goal is toreplace the broken lighting as quickly as possible and these crews haveneither the equipment, training or motivation to accurately record therelevant data associated with each streetlight (“asset data”). Thus,every year thousands of lights are fitted and the details with respectto the lights are sketchy at best, Furthermore, even if the informationcould be collected accurately, the information has to be processed andtransferred into the CMS system for the streetlights.

Then the streetlight is manufactured, the information about thestreetlight, for example, power consumption, voltage rating, productname, date of manufacture and the like, is stored inside the streetlightand it is made accessible to the CMS node to read and/or transferthrough the communications network into the CMS system.

To provide for a standardized platform to develop a solution AmericanNational Standards Institute (ANSI) is working on a standard (C137.4) todefine what information should be stored for each streetlight and whereit can be stored. Storage has been allocated inside a memory block in anLED driver that has a Dali communications interface. The Dalicommunications standard already defines the structure of memory blocksinside the LED driver and also defines a standard method to write to andread from these memory blocks, The ANSI C147.4 standard is proposing todefine the specific streetlight data stored in one or more of thesememory blocks in specific locations so that it will be common for allmanufacturers.

Although this solution may work for newly manufactured streetlights,most existing LED drivers in streetlights do not have a Dalicommunications feature therein. Furthermore, those that do have the Dalicommunications feature generally do not support writable memory blocks.Of the LED drivers that have the ability to be “dimmed” most of thesecurrently have 0-10V dimming control because they are more costeffective, about 20 percent cheaper than the equivalent Dali enableddriver. Accordingly, unless the manufacturers can convince theirpreferred LED driver manufacturers to develop new units with these addedfeatures at little increased cost, this feature may not be availablefrom most existing streetlights.

Accordingly, some embodiments of the present inventive concept provide arelatively small, robust streetlight asset module (SAM) that isconfigured to communicate with the CMS node using the Dali standard (oralternative communications method). The streetlight asset module inaccordance with embodiments discussed herein include (among otherthings) memory blocks that can be written to by, for example, themanufacturer to store the pertinent “operating configuration settings”in the memory block when the streetlight is being assembled.

Referring now to FIG. 2 , a simplified diagram of a SAM in communicationwith a CMS node in accordance with some embodiments of the presentinventive concept will be discussed. As illustrated, the SAM 220, theCMS node 230 and the streetlight 201 communicate with one another. Asillustrated in FIG. 2 , the SAM 220 includes one or more memory blocks225 that are configured to store the various details associated with theparticular streetlight 201. As will be discussed further below, the SAM220 may be a small unit/module that is wired to the streetlight 201. Insome embodiments, it may be no bigger than 2×2×1 inches, however,embodiments of the present inventive concept are not limited to thisconfiguration. Thus, the SAM 220 in accordance with embodiments of thepresent inventive concept may be an accessory/add con plugged into anexisting physical streetlight 201, which is more cost effective thanreplacing the entire streetlight. Furthermore, the ability to reprogramand/or replace this accessory makes any necessary updates to the detailstherein relatively straight forward. The details associated with theparticular streetlight 201 may be communicated to a remote locationusing the communications circuit 235 of the CMS node 230. As discussedabove, these details may be used at the remote location to monitor forfaults or incorrect operation of the streetlight 201.

The SAM 220 in accordance with embodiments of the present inventiveconcept may be used with many different physical streetlights includingolder streetlights that do not have a Dali interface and the mosttechnologically advanced streetlights. Various embodiments of the SAM220 will be discussed below with respect to FIGS. 3 through 7 . However,it will be understood that embodiments of the present inventive conceptare not limited to the examples illustrated therein. The SAM 220 may beused in any suitable streetlight configuration without departing fromthe scope of the present inventive concept. For example, if a CMS nodeof a particular streetlight has the capability to provide a Dali onlyinterface for dim control, a 0-10V dimming control interface may beadded to the SAM 220 in accordance with embodiments discussed herein toallow the CMS node to read the asset data using the Dali interface andalso send dim commands over the Dali interface that will be converted to0-10V dim control signal in the streetlight asset module to control a0-10V dim driver.

Furthermore, if connection to external sensors in the streetlight CMSnetwork is needed, other communication capabilities may be added to theSAM 220 in accordance with embodiments discussed herein to allownon-standard devices to interface with the standardized CMS Nodeinterface ANSI C146.10. Wireless communications methods, such asBluetooth, Zigbee, Wi-Fi and the like, may be incorporated into a SAM220 along with wired interfaces, such as industrial standard RS422/485,RS232, Modbus, Canbus and the like, without departing from the scope ofthe present inventive concept.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 through 7 , embodiments of SAMs 220 inaccordance with some embodiments of the present inventive concept willbe discussed. The examples discussed herein illustrate how a SAM 220 inaccordance with embodiments discussed herein could be configured fordifferent types of physical streetlights.

Referring first to FIG. 3 , a block diagram of a SAM 320 inside theStreetlight unit 305 having a non-dimming lamp driver in accordance withembodiments of the present inventive concept will be discussed, Asillustrated, the streetlight 305 includes a non-dimming lamp driver 340,a lamp 350, a SAM 320 and a socket 360. The CMS node 330 is coupled tothe streetlight 305 using the socket 360. The connection to the CMS node330 may be performed using any known type of connection withoutdeparting from the scope of the present inventive concept. Thus, FIG. 3illustrates a basic streetlight 305 that has a lamp driver 340 that doesnot dim and only has a basic capability of on/off control. As will bediscussed further below, even with such a basic streetlight 305 with alightly featured setup, SAMs 320 in accordance with embodimentsdiscussed herein provide the streetlight information to the CMS node 330so that the performance measured and recorded by the CMS Node 330 can becompared with the expected performance of this particular lamp type andwarnings can be sent to the maintenance team if the streetlight 305 doesnot operate as expected.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 , in the system including the CMS node 330, thesocket 360, the non-dimming lamp driver 340, the lamp 350, thestreetlight 305 and the SAM 320, a Dali communications connection A isprovided from the CMS node 330 through the socket 360 to the SAM 320,which allows the asset data of the streetlight unit 305 that wasprogrammed into the SAM 320 during manufacture to be read into the CMSnode 330 and provided by the CMS node 330 to a customer's assetmanagement database. The addition of the SAM 320 allows accurateperformance monitoring, fault detection and location of the known assetby the CMS node 330.

As further illustrated, a connection C between the main power supply ofthe streetlight in the lamp driver 340 and the CMS node 330 allows powerto be switched on or off by the CMS node 330. Power supply from theMains to the streetlight socket 360 is not illustrated in FIG. 3 .

FIGS. 4 through 7 depict various alternative configurations of thestreetlight that add enhancements to the basic configuration of thesystem illustrated in FIG. 3 . Details with respect to like elementsbetween FIG. 3 and each of FIGS. 4 through 7 may not be repeated ordiscussed in detail herein in the interest of brevity. Referring now toFIG. 4 , a block diagram of a system including a SAM 320 including aDali dimming lamp driver in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent inventive concept will be discussed. Thus, the elements of FIG.4 are similar to the elements of FIG. 3 except that the lamp driver 445of FIG. 4 is Dali dimming control lamp driver in embodiments illustratedtherein. Thus, the system of FIG. 4 includes the CMS node 330, thesocket 360, the Dali dimming lamp driver 445, the lamp 350, thestreetlight 405 and the SAM 320.

As further illustrated in FIG. 4 , there are two connections from theCMS node 330. The first is a Dali communications connection A1 providedfrom the CMS node 330 to the SAM 320, which allows the asset data of thestreetlight unit 405 that was programmed into the SAM 320 duringmanufacture to be read into the CMS node 330 and provided by the CMSnode 330 to a customer's asset management database. The secondconnection A2 is between the CMS node 330 and the Dali dimming controllamp driver 445. Thus, the CMS node 330 can also be used to control theDali dimming control of the lamp driver 445.

A connection C between the main power supply of the streetlight in thelamp driver 8 and the CMS node 1 allows power to be switched on or offby the CMS node 1. Power supply from the Mains to the streetlight socketis not illustrated in FIG. 2 .

Referring now to FIG. 5 , a block diagram of a system including a SAM320 including a 0-10 volt dimming lamp driver 447 in accordance withsome embodiments of the present inventive concept will be discussed.Thus, the elements of FIG. 5 are similar to the elements of FIG. 3 ,except that the lamp driver of FIG. 5 is a 0-10 volt dimming lamp driver447 and the lamp is an LED lamp 551. As illustrated, in the systemincluding the CMS node 330, the socket 360, the 0-10V dimming lampdriver 447, the LED lamp 551, the streetlight 505 and the SAM 320, aDali communications connection A is provided from the CMS node 330 andthe SAM 320 through the socket 360, which allows the asset data of thestreetlight unit that was programmed into the SAM 320 during manufactureto be read into the CMS node 330 and provided by the CMS node 330 to acustomer's asset management database.

As further illustrated in FIG. 5 , a connection B between the SAM 320and the 0-10V dimming lamp driver 447 provides a 0-10V dimming controlconnection to adjust the power level of the lamp based on dimmingcommands sent to the SAM 320 from the CMS Node 330. The CMS Node 330does not have the capability of providing both dimming control methodson the same unit.

A further connection C between the main power supply of the streetlight505 in the lamp driver 447 and the CMS node 330 allows power to beswitched on or off by the CMS node 330. Power supply from the Mains tothe streetlight socket 360 is not illustrated in FIG. 5 .

Referring to FIG. 6 , a block diagram of a system including a SAM 320including a 0-10V dimming lamp driver and adaptive CMS node 631 inaccordance with some embodiments of the present inventive concept willbe discussed. Thus, the elements of FIG. 6 are similar to the elementsof FIG. 3 except that the lamp driver of FIG. 6 is 0-10V dimming controllamp driver 649 and the adaptive CNS node 631 has two connectionstherefrom, B and B1.

As illustrated in FIG. 6 , in the system including the CMS node 330, thesocket 360, the 0-10V dimming control lamp driver 649, the lamp 350, thestreetlight 605 and the SAM 320, first and second connections B and B1from the adaptive CMS node 631 to SAM 320 and lamp driver 649,respectively, allow the asset data of the streetlight unit 605 that wasprogrammed into the SAM 320 during manufacture to be read into the CMSnode 631 and provided by the CMS node 631 to a customer's assetmanagement database. Embodiments illustrated in FIG. 6 , provide anadaptive CMS Node 631, which allows the communications method to bechanged from Dali to 0-10V dimming control after the asset data iscollected from the streetlight asset module.

As further illustrated in FIG. 6 , a connection C between the main powersupply of the streetlight in the lamp driver 649 and the CMS node 631allows power to be switched on or off by the CMS node 631. Power supplyfrom the Mains to the streetlight socket is not illustrated in FIG. 6 .

Referring now to FIG. 7 , a block diagram of a system including astreetlight asset module including a 0-10 volt dimming lamp driver andauxiliary communications feature in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present inventive concept will be discussed. Thus, the elements ofFIG. 7 are similar to the elements of FIG. 3 except that the lamp driverof FIG. 7 is a 0-10 volt dimming lamp driver 747, the lamp is an LEDlamp 751 and the system further includes an external sensor 770.

As illustrated in FIG. 7 , in the system, including the CMS node 330,the socket 360, the 0-10V dimming lamp driver 747, the LED lamp 751, thestreetlight 705, the SAM 320 and the wireless/wired external sensor 770,a Dali communications connection A is provided from the CMS node 330 tothe SAM 320, which allows the asset data of the streetlight unit 705that was programmed into the SAM 320 during manufacture to be read intothe CMS node 330 and provided by the CMS node 330 to a customer's assetmanagement database.

As further illustrated in FIG. 7 , a connection B between the SAM 320 tothe 0-10V dimming lamp driver 747 provides a 0-10V dimming controlconnection to adjust the power level of the lamp based on dimmingcommands sent to the SAM 320 from the CMS Node 330. The CMS Node 330does not have the capability of providing both dimming control methodson the same unit.

A connection C between the main power supply of the streetlight in thelamp driver 747 and the CMS node 330 allows power to be switched on oroff by the CMS node 330. Power supply from the Mains to the streetlightsocket is not illustrated in FIG. 7 .

A connection D between the SAM 320 and the wireless/wired externalsensor 770 can include other communications methods to add connectivityto the Streetlight 705 for external sensors of controls using wireless,for example, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Wi-Fi or wired RS485/RS232 Modbuscommunications methods. These sensors 770 may include, for example,temperature sensors, traffic counters, humidity sensors, motion sensors,and the like without departing from the scope of the present inventiveconcept.

As is clear from above, some aspects of the present inventive conceptmay be implemented using a data processing system. The data processingsystems may be included in any of the devices discussed herein withoutdeparting from the scope of the present inventive concept. Exampleembodiments of a data processing system 830 configured in accordancewith embodiments of the present inventive concept will be discussed withrespect to FIG. 8 . The data processing system 830 may include a userinterface 844, including, for example, input device(s) such as akeyboard or keypad, a display, a speaker and/or microphone, and a memory836 that communicate with a processor 838. The data processing system830 may further include I/O data port(s) 846 that also communicates withthe processor 438. The I/O data ports 846 can be used to transferinformation between the data processing system 830 and another computersystem or a network. These components may be conventional componentssuch as those used in many conventional data processing systems, whichmay be configured to operate as described herein.

As discussed briefly above, CMS nodes are attached to or installed inmany conventional streetlights. The CMS node has measurement, controland communication circuits included therein to allow it to monitor andcontrol the streetlight and to transmit information about the operationand performance of the streetlight back to the central control andmonitoring system manager. In order to make this information more usefulthe manager generally needs to know what the specific configurationsettings of each individual streetlight are so the expected results andthe measured results can be compared, and performance of the streetlightcan be calculated. In order to provide a solution to this problem ofproviding details on the streetlight asset in a manner that allows theCMS node to read it automatically a new ANSI (C137.4) standard is beingdeveloped. In short, this solution uses a programmable memory blockinside a Dali compatible LED driver unit to store the streetlight assetinformation in defined format. However, as discussed herein, manyexisting streetlights do not have a Dali LED driver or have a Dalicapable LED driver that does not have a programmable memory blockinside. It would not be cost effective to change all the LED drivers inall exiting streetlights. Accordingly some embodiments of the presentinventive concept provide streetlight asset modules that couples tostreetlights allowing streetlight information to be stored and read bythe CMS node using the Dali communications.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the inventive conceptmay be embodied as a method, data processing system, or computer programproduct. Accordingly, the present inventive concept may take the form ofan entirely hardware embodiment or an embodiment combining software andhardware aspects all generally referred to herein as a “circuit” or“module.” Furthermore, the present inventive concept may take the formof a computer program product on a computer-usable storage medium havingcomputer-usable program code embodied in the medium. Any suitablecomputer readable medium may be utilized including hard disks, CD-ROMs,optical storage devices, a transmission media such as those supportingthe Internet or an intranet, or magnetic storage devices.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the presentinventive concept may be written in an object-oriented programminglanguage such as Java®, Smalltalk or C++. However, the computer programcode for carrying out operations of the present inventive concept mayalso be written in conventional procedural programming languages, suchas the “C” programming language or in a visually oriented programmingenvironment, such as VisualBasic.

The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly onthe user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on theuser's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on theremote computer. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may beconnected to the user's computer through a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

The inventive concept is described in part below with reference to aflowchart illustration and/or block diagrams of methods, systems andcomputer program products according to embodiments of the inventiveconcept. It will be understood that each block of the illustrations, andcombinations of blocks, can be implemented by computer programinstructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including instruction meanswhich implement the function/act specified in the block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer orother programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series ofoperational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmableapparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that theinstructions which execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe block or blocks.

In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed typicalpreferred embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms areemployed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and notfor purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forthin the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A streetlight asset module (SAM) comprising: atleast one memory block configured to store operating configurationsettings and asset data of a streetlight associated with the SAM;wherein the SAM is configured to communicate the operating configurationsettings of the streetlight to a control and monitoring system (CMS)node coupled to the streetlight; and wherein the CMS node is configuredto communicate the operating configuration settings to a remote locationusing a radio communications network and to provide the asset data to anasset management database of a customer.
 2. The SAM of claim 1, whereinthe CMS node is further configured to: monitor operation of thestreetlight associated with the SAM based on the operating configurationsettings provided from the SAM; and provide alerts using a communicationcircuit of the streetlight to the remote location when a deviation fromthe operating configuration settings is identified.
 3. The SAM of claim1, wherein the at least one memory block is programmed with theoperating configuration settings of the streetlight at time ofmanufacture.
 4. The SAM of claim 1, wherein the operating configurationssettings stored in the at least one memory block are periodicallyupdated or updated upon request from a user.
 5. The SAM of claim 1,wherein the SAM is coupled to a dimming lamp driver in the streetlightand configured to communicate dimming control commands from the CMS nodeto the dimming lamp driver.
 6. The SAM of claim 1, wherein the SAM iscoupled to at least one external sensor and is configured to providesensor information from the at least one external sensor to the CMSnode.
 7. The SAM of claim 6, wherein the at least one external sensorcomprises at least one of a temperature sensor, a traffic counter, ahumidity sensor, or a motion sensor.
 8. A streetlight comprising: astreetlight asset module (SAM) comprising at least one memory blockconfigured to store operating configuration settings and asset data ofthe streetlight; and a coupling mechanism configured to connect thestreetlight to a control and monitoring system (CMS) node, wherein theSAM is configured to communicate the operating configuration settings ofthe streetlight to the CMS node, and wherein the CMS node is configuredto communicate the operating configuration settings to a remote locationusing a radio communications network and to provide the asset data to anasset management database of a customer.
 9. The streetlight of claim 8,further comprising; a lamp driver in communication with the CMS node,the lamp driver comprising one of a non-dimming lamp driver, a 0-10Vdimming lamp driver, or a Dali dimming lamp driver; and a lamp incommunication with the lamp driver.
 10. The streetlight of claim 9:wherein the lamp driver is a 0-10V dimming lamp driver and is directlycoupled to the SAM, and wherein the SAM is configured to communicatedimming control commands from the CMS node to the 0-10V dimming lampdriver.
 11. The streetlight of claim 8, wherein the CMS node is furtherconfigured to: monitor operation of the streetlight based on theoperating configuration settings provided from the SAM; and providealerts using a communication circuit of the streetlight to the remotelocation when a deviation from the operating configuration settings isidentified.
 12. The streetlight of claim 8, wherein the at least onememory block is programmed with the operating configuration settings ofthe streetlight at time of manufacture.
 13. The streetlight of claim 8,wherein the operating configuration settings stored in the at least onememory block are periodically updated or updated upon request from auser.
 14. The streetlight of claim 8, wherein the SAM is coupled to atleast one external sensor and is configured to provide sensorinformation from the at least one external sensor to the CMS node.
 15. Asystem for monitoring operating configuration settings of a streetlight,the system comprising: a streetlight asset module (SAM) comprising atleast one memory block configured to store operating configurationsettings and asset data of the streetlight; and a control and monitoringsystem (CMS) node in communication with the SAM and configured toreceive the operating configuration settings of the streetlight from theSAM, wherein the CMS node is configured to communicate the operatingconfiguration settings to a remote location using a radio communicationsnetwork and to provide the asset data to an asset management database ofa customer.
 16. The system of claim 15, further comprising: a lampdriver in the streetlight in communication with the CMS node, the lampdriver comprising one of a non-dimming lamp driver, a 0-10V dimming lampdriver, or a Dali dimming lamp driver; and a lamp in the streetlight incommunication with the lamp driver.
 17. The system of claim 16: whereinthe lamp driver is a 0-10V dimming lamp driver and is directly coupledto the SAM, and wherein the SAM is configured to communicate dimmingcontrol commands from the CMS node to the 0-10V dimming lamp driver. 18.The system of claim 15, wherein the CMS node is further configured to:monitor operation of the streetlight based on the operatingconfiguration settings provided from the SAM; and provide alerts using acommunication circuit of the streetlight to the remote location when adeviation from the operating configuration settings is identified. 19.The system of claim 15, further comprising at least one external sensorcoupled to the SAM, wherein the SAM is configured to provide sensorinformation from the at least one external sensor to the CMS node. 20.The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one memory block isprogrammed with the operating configuration settings of the streetlightat time of manufacture.